Officer loses RM112,000 of life savings in Macau scam

0

KUCHING: A 51-year-old female enforcement officer here lost RM112,000 of her life savings to a Macau scam between Nov 10 and 12.

According to Sarawak Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) chief Supt Mustafa Kamal Gani Abdullah, the victim received a call from a post office in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 10 asking her if she had received a document sent to an address in Terengganu.

“The victim told the caller who identified himself as Albert Wong that she is not in Terengganu but in Kuching,” said Mustafa in a press statement yesterday.

The suspect (Wong), said Mustafa, then asked the victim to give her full name and identification card number which she complied with. The woman was then told that she had applied for a credit card in Terengganu and purchased an iPhone X via an online store for RM4,568  with the credit card.

Mustafa added the call was then transferred to a bogus police officer after the victim denied having made the purchase.

The victim was told on the phone that police were investigating her for money laundering activities and peddling about 6kg of drugs.

The victim was also told that she had committed a crime with an accomplice by the name of Tan Wee Lung in Terengganu and was instructed to catch the next flight to lodge a police report there.

Fearing that her image might be tarnished and career affected if she got arrested, the victim then spoke to a bogus investigating officer (IO) on Nov 12.

It was at this time that she was then instructed to transfer her money in her savings account to a CIMB and a BSN accounts under the name of Raziq Bin Roslan and another CIMB account under the name of Wong Chee Kheong.

The victim proceeded to transfer RM112,000 to the three accounts after she was told that her savings will be returned once her name has been cleared from investigations. After realising that she had been cheated, the victim lodged a police report on the incident.

Apart from the Kuching case, Mustafa said a 25-year-old pharmacist in Miri also lost RM16,000 in a Macam scam while a 41-year- old cleaner also from Miri was made RM2,000 poorer after falling victim to a parcel scam.  Both vicitms lodged police reports on Nov 15 after realising that they had been cheated.

Police also received six reports from individuals who managed to avoid being scammed. Three were from Sibu, two in Miri and one in Bintulu.